1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

This scripture is so rich in theology, especially in relation to the work of grace.

The first thing you need to understand is Jesus is the light of the world – and the way to “walk” in the light is simply to follow Christ. In John 8:12 Jesus says,“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Secondly, it says the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. In the original Greek text, the tense for the word ‘cleanses’ is the “present continuous action” – meaning once you are a believer, the blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing you. That is, all your past sin, present sin and future sin is cleansed in Christ!

This is the “continual cleansing power” of grace. And when you walk in the knowledge of this powerful truth, the enemy is powerless toward you.

But what the devil has over you is when you feel condemnation, because of sin. Sin causes you to feel guilty, ashamed and condemned. Some Christians are guilt-ridden as the consciousness of their sins condemns them. Although the blood of Jesus continuously cleanses them, their “sin consciousness” will still cause them to feel condemned.

And this is what weakens faith – it is condemnation. But Romans 8:1 says, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ.

The way to overcome the condemning work of the devil is to carry a “righteousness consciousness”. Stop condemning yourself, and start proclaiming who you TRULY are in Christ. If you have a “gambling addiction”, you need to declare over yourself “I am not a gambler… I am not an addict, I am free in Christ!

Now, it’s not just about “positive confession”. The Word of God is the power that will set you free from your addiction. It will literally absorb that addiction out of your heart! Saturate yourself in God’s Word by reading it daily – declare the truth of the Word over your life and re-train the way you think – be “righteous conscious” and you will notice the desire dissolves.

And herein lies the spiritual truth –

“The more conscious you are of who you are in Christ, the more of Christ’s righteousness you will see being manifest in your life”.

The Word of God literally does it for you. This is how Grace fulfills all of Christ’s redemptive work in you – it’s a progressive revelation of His Word and Spirit, the Spirit of Grace.

Daily meditate, read, or hear God’s Word. Allow the revelation of the living Word to bring “wisdom”, “understanding” and the power of the “life of Christ” to your spirit, soul, and body!

Pastor Wayne Simpson

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The more conscious you are of who you are in Christ, the more of Christ’s righteousness you will see in your life.